As hurricane season gets into full swing, a perpetual paradox reemerges — does disaster aid help or harm? Government financial assistance in a disaster’s wake may seem a boon, but could it just encourage communities to repeat the mistakes of the past? The latest TipSheet explores the question and provides context, reporting resources and story ideas.
"They’re on beaches, in parking lots and on sidewalks. You probably won’t catch the coronavirus from a discarded mask, but the litter poses a risk to the environment."
"Two environmental groups on Friday threatened to sue the Trump administration over a newly published rule allowing the transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail."
"Three Democratic senators are criticizing Interior Secretary David Bernhardt over reports that he refused to wear a mask in a meeting with tribes in Oregon earlier this month."
"3M Co. will determine the health risks of Alabama’s current and potential future PFAS contamination in a new agreement the company has reached with the state, which could influence the EPA’s regulations for the chemicals."
"The destruction of critically-important wetlands by politically-connected developers in Cambodia threatens to flood more than one million Phnom Penh residents, ruin the city’s wastewater system, force hundreds of families from their homes, and trigger environmental devastation, a new report has warned."
"New Hampshire’s governor signed into law a bill Thursday that sets some of nation’s toughest drinking water standards for a group of toxic chemicals and provides tens of millions of dollars for cleanup cost."
"As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates King Coal’s decline, Virginia could be on the hook for millions in cleanup costs if an anticipated wave of bankruptcies destabilizes its bond pool system for managing the risks of company failures."
"The House added a number of environmental measures to the budget Friday, voting to block the Trump administration from drilling in the arctic or rejecting grants for projects and studies tied to climate change."
"For years, money for flood protection in the Houston area went mostly to richer neighborhoods. A new approach prioritizes minority communities, and it’s stirring up resentments."
